First day in Mozambique

Mozambique-1675The team is all doing well. Today starts a ten day adventure in Mozambique. During that time we will have no Internet connection, so no news will be good news. Yesterday morning the team reviewed the blessings of the first week. It was good to hear of the things that God was doing in the hearts of the team. The investment that is being made is an internal one in their hearts as God uses this to impact their lives. This morning we ran a hilly 10K (men) and a 5K (women). All survived. The gals stayed together as a team for the most part. (One gal decided to take four scenic stops to empty the contents of her stomach that were seemingly slowing her down). The guys all finished in “good” time, with the team leader in front of the pack (though several older folks with their walkers finished well in front of us). The Lord has been good in many ways which can only be communicated in person. Thank you for your prayers and support. The team wishes all of our fathers a Happy Fathers Day!

Mr. Trainer

1 Comment

Brazil 3, USA 0

Soccer-448Hi from the cameraman!
We have had so much fun in the past few days. Yesterday we went to the soccer game. Or futbol if you’re not an American. It was amazing! The stadium was huge. We had great seats and a clear view of everything. When we entered the gate, I was asked if I was media. Sadly, I had to say no. Between Angela, Leanna, and myself we took almost 500 pictures! Those two got a lot of practice at using the zoom lens. I got a few decent shots of Brazil scoring on the USA. There really were no pictures of the USA doing anything decent. There was one good shot of the USA goalie making a save. It was so much fun. Oh, and can someone tell Ryan Barrie sorry, but I wore the South Africa jersey that I got when we bartered at the market. And if you are wondering, USA lost to Brazil 3-0. Hope you have a great day!
Steven

2 Comments

A ton of cookies

Mozambique-0142Dear Family, Friends, and Jon,
Hi!! I hope you are all doing really well. Guess what? Tomorrow I am running in a 5K! My goal is to run the whole thing. Today was a nice day of spending time with the Zak family. I helped bake a ton (I think literally) of cookies to take to Mozambique with us tomorrow. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. It was fun.
The Lord has been teaching me lots about both myself and who He is. Some is discouraging (stuff about me) and some is encouraging (stuff about Him) but it is all good. Thank you for your prayers! Please keep praying for us, especially as we head into Mozambique. Miss you all!
Reb

1 Comment

The Christian Hoedown

SouthAfrica-1161Hello to all!
As stated above, this is the last you’ll hear from us while we’re in Mozambique for 8 days. Tomorrow at 6am the guys are running a 10k….yeah I think I’ll be WALKING most of the 10k.
There’s nothing really specific I wanted to write about, so I’ll just share some things I’ve learned so far. 1) The Zaks are an AMAZING family and I am soooo glad we’re staying with them. 2) Jumping in a freezing cold pool at night is actually a lot of fun. 3) Even if it’s an outhouse, girls still hog the bathroom. 4) A hoedown song Angela played on the violin when she was 10 can quickly evolve into “The Christian Hoedown” and be played at every service we do. 5) I never thought I’d spend 212 Rand ($25) at a fabric store. I never thought Steve would spend 478 Rand ($60) at a fabric store. 6) When you go to barter at all the shops, you magically become everyone’s friend. Seriously though, this trip has far exceeded all hopes and expectations I had going in. Every day I learn something new, and I have not ceased to be amazed. Last I want to say Happy Father’s day to Dad. I love you Dad! Mom too of course.
I did get on ESPN.com just long enough to see Pittsburgh won. Just glad I wasn’t there to watch it.
And also, Happy birthday Justin! I love you all and look forward to sharing what the Lord does in Mozambique. Keep praying!

Eric

1 Comment

Eating crocodile and warthog

Mozambique-1692Hey Everyone,
Before I forget, I want to wish my Dad a very happy Father’s Day! I love you!
Mom, Dad and Isaiah, you won’t believe what I ate! I ate crocodile, warthog and a lot of other wild animals! I have been having an amazing time here in Africa! We have had the opportunity to do so many different ministries and I have loved all of them! Guess what Ashley; last night we had the opportunity to go to two Mozambique refugee camps here in Pretoria. I was able to share my testimony there and go into a lady’s tent that was disabled and sing to her. while I was there I was thinking of you, Ashley, and wishing that you could be there with me. Today I spent the whole day making shatangs (skirts). Mrs. Zack and I made 26 and they’re pretty sweet! Tomorrow I will be running a 5K and I’m going to win a medal!!! After the race we will be heading out to Mozambique for a week of ministry! On our way there we will be going through Kruger National Park! I hope to be able to see many unique animals!
I love and miss all of you!   
Love,
Leanna Joy

5 Comments

Showers and shatangs

Mozambique-1741Hi Mom and Dad and friends, if they find this blog.
I am so excited about being here! I’m waiting for the Zaks to invite me to stay here for the rest of my life … jk. Sort of. We met up with Amanda Myburgh last night, which completely made my day. She will be staying with us for the rest of the trip! We are running a 5k tomorrow and then heading to Mozambique for about 8 days. We CAN take showers, hallelujah! We gave the Zaks all the food and books that we had brought- they loved it! I have had a lot of fun with the Zak family too. Today we made skirts (shatangs) to wear in Mozambique. They do not wear pants there, so we are going to try and match them. Keep praying – I can’t wait to see what God does in Mozambique through our group. We are getting close and really seeing amazing things already. Last night went to a Zimbabwean Refugee camp, and sang and played for them. Can’t wait to tell you about it. I miss you all, and hope you are doing well! Happy Father’s Day, Dad.
Love,
Angela

1 Comment

Fellowship With the Refugees

Mozambique-1702Friday, June 19, 2009, a busy day of preparation for the team. We are making shatangs (wraps) for Mozambique and cookies so that we don’t starve. Of course, we had to make double due to the mysterious loss of so much cookie dough;). That should make our 5k an interesting run tomorrow. Last night was probably my 2nd favorite experience of the trip. We went to two refugee camps. These refugees come from Zimbabwe for work but they must live in these tiny sections of the inner city at night or else the local Africans will assault them. Surrounded by refugees, we sang songs together and gave testimonies. I love fellowshipping with these “poor” people who thrive in poverty. I have learned so much while here; one thing I have gained is a huge respect for the Africans. We measure success by possessions; they, by relationships. I wish you could see how proud they are of their tiny, unfinished houses and outhouses. Mr. Zak talked with me today about starting an orphanage/school for the refugees we met last night. So many of these children have lost vital time in education. I would love to come teach these children, but I have promised to pray about it.  So much more to say, but I’ll end with a “I’ve been good” and only got lost twice so far. Miss everyone a lot especially, my bed. Love you Mom and Dad and fam. Tell Dad I haven’t pitched the mosquito netting yet, but I did sleep in a “hut.” But you’re right, I should have practiced backpacking through the swamps a little more. They tell me the passage into Mozambique goes up to the car windows during the dry season. I’ll just have to swim for it! Love you guys!!! No Rumy without me!!!!

3 Comments

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Hey ya’ll! First I want to start off by saying Happy Birthday Dad!! Hope you like your present (although I know you will) :) Mom, I haven’t been sick or anything and the malaria pills are going good Kiss savannah for me!

Well we have been gone for a week now but it feels like months because we have done sooo much! Our team is such a great combination and the Lord has shown us all so much! We were able to spend some time this morning just talking about things the Lord has shown us! Yesterday, we went to see USA play Brazil. We got beat very badly and now I know why we are not huge into our soccer team! After the game we went to a refugee camp. I have never seen anything like that. They really live with nothing; they are in a broken-down warehouse with no roof and once it is dark, you can hardly see anything. We sang to them and gave testimonies and they really enjoyed it! It touched my heart how appreciative they were for music and we could see the joy in the midst of hard times. A few days ago we went to stay with Pastor Nicholas and his wife Stephina in their village of Opperman. We had a great time walking around the village and talking to different people and then Pastor Nicholas talked to us for hours about South African culture. That helped a lot with understanding things. The outhouse was also a fun experience. J We went to a restaurant called Carnivore where I had crocodile, warthog, lamb, waterbuck, and many other interesting things! My favorite were surprisingly Crocodile and Watertbuck (family, don’t fall over but I was an adventurous eater). Well continue to pray for us! We have a 5k to run tomorrow then will be on our way to Mozambique!

11 Comments

Visiting an Orphanage

Dear Family, Friends, and Jon,

The last couple days have been so fun!!  Those of you who really know me will understand. Yesterday we visited a woman named Johanna who takes care of AIDS “babies” and elderly folks. In her home she had 11 “babies” which ranged in ages from 1 to 5 probably. We then went and visited the elderly folks who we gave suckers, which they loved! We also went to Bethesda, an orphanage in Pretoria. Last night we spent the night with Pastor Nicholas and his wife Steffane in Oppermann, a small village about 15 minutes outside of Pretoria. So many of the children we met in the village reminded me of our bus kids. They were so precious. Pastor Nicholas filled our minds with information about the South African culture as we sat around the campfire at night and bombarded him with questions. This morning we visited a government school and a day care and sang for them. I met a young woman named Marie at the daycare and it was so fun to connect when I shared with her that I had a similar job at home. If nothing else, we were able to connect through our love for our kids! Hope you are all well. Miss you!

Reb

No Comments

Happy 30th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

I love you!

Today we went to a preschool and a school to sing some songs and play some music for them. You’ll never believe this- the Zaks have a nice violin, so I have been playing everywhere we go! So much for practicing a piano J No one has pianos. It was not what I expected, but at least I can play hymns and a little millionaire’s hoedown for fun. The people are so sweet- last night we stayed with Pastor Nicholas and his wife in their village, and they had a service for us last night. We got to share testimonies (I shared about how it was such a trust-building experience to raise money for this trip) and play music/sing. Pastor Nicholas was such a wise and Biblically-founded man. He had been to seminary and taught us so much about the South African culture and different traditions. Ancestor worship is pretty common here, but most people will tell you they believe in Jesus. I love it here- I would love to come back and stay with the Zaks or work with Johanna or something- Johanna is a woman that single-handedly runs a orphanage for babies with Aids and an old folks home as well. What a ministry she has! We still haven’t gotten our suitcases yet. I am living out of my backpack- thank goodness the Zaks are being amazing and letting us do laundry and take showers, etc. They have a beautiful home and are wonderful hosts. I have told them hi for you and from our church J They were excited when they found out I was a Henry. I love you and miss you! Pray for us, that we will stay healthy, get our luggage, and see God continue to do amazing things! I feel like I’ve been blessed more than been a blessing. Hopefully it will go both ways by the time I head home. Much love,

Angela

3 Comments